


All Things New Again

by theianitor



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: M/M, Past Relationship(s), Post-Break Up, getting back together?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 14:14:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15973997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theianitor/pseuds/theianitor
Summary: Mark takes a moment to relax after the Australian GP and a certain someone invades his thoughts, and his respite.





	All Things New Again

**Author's Note:**

> This has been kicking around in the WIP-folder for a long time, and it's time to finally let it go. It wouldn't have been written at all without a very special lady, and would never have been posted without another one. I'm very lucky and grateful to have you both. <3

\- Australia 2016 -

 

Mark hadn’t expected to be so tired at the end of the day, but that hotel bed was definitely calling his name now. When the sun broke through the clouds for a last attempt at heating up the evening air, Mark just had to stop and take a moment to look at the rays of light dancing over the water. The park at the track really was lovely, especially now that all the people had gone and he could be alone with his thoughts. He had already taken off his suit jacket and was opening a few shirt buttons, feeling more and more relaxed. The air smelled like home.

A further comfort was that they had gotten confirmation that Fernando was not only alright, but demanding to be released from the hospital. Mark chuckled thinking about it, it wasn’t hard to imagine his old friend being in quite a state over being stuck with a bunch of people fussing over him. The podium had been good fun too. As predicted Ferrari had come back with sharpened claws, ready for a fight, and while Mercedes had taken a 1-2 it looked like a significant chunk had been taken out of the gaps from last year.

He let his mind drift briefly to Sebastian. They hadn’t seen too much of each other the past couple of years, but they had in essence made up. Without Red Bull looming over them both that part had actually been fairly easy. Professionally speaking, they were fine. Sebastian’s stunt, dousing him in champagne and causing him to have to find a cleaner before returning the borrowed jacket, brought a warm smile to his face.

Still, the words gnawed at him. What Sebastian had said about it being a shame they were no longer teammates might have seemed outwardly quite professional; a simple wish for times gone by. Mark knew the meaning behind the words though. His smile fell away as his mind moved on to all the issues attached to Sebastian. On the surface, things were fine again. They were no longer two parts of an explosive compound that couldn’t be anywhere near one another. They were adults now, and those volatile times really were long gone. The other stuff however...

 

He shook his head to get the thoughts out, committed to leaving them behind in the park – maybe they wouldn’t haunt him until he possibly returned in a year’s time? With a sigh he turned to start heading for his car.

“Mark.”

The voice made him jump and turn. He was instantly as ready to apologize to some marshal for delaying them in checking the track as he was for a reporter or straggling race fan. Lowering his hands with a sigh, he realized it’d be hard to leave his pondering about Sebastian just now, since Sebastian was standing right behind him.

“What the hell are you doing here?” There was nothing heated in his words, but Sebastian still took half a step back.

“I want to talk to you,” he said, holding his hands up. He took a careful step closer again, and Mark just looked at him. There was something slightly unreal about Seb standing there, like an old edited photo where Seb had been aged up and the purplish teamwear had been distorted to a bright red. “We need to talk.”

Sebastian reached out his hand and touched Mark’s upper arm gently. Mark usually kept his hands to himself when he talked to people, he sought contact only with people he liked and even then he wasn’t a very handsy kind of guy. Not like Fernando or Jenson, who, if they liked you, seemed determined to end up in your lap before the conversation was over. He would have said something about Seb’s hand on him if Seb hadn’t closed his eyes for a second, looking almost like he shivered.

“What could we possibly need to talk about?”

Sebastian sighed and opened his eyes, but kept his hand on Mark’s arm. It wasn’t a grip; he wasn’t holding on to him, he was just touching him. He looked like he had missed it.

“We need to talk about us, Mark.”

“There is no us, Seb,” Mark moved away from his hand and Sebastian let it fall. He looked Mark in the eyes.

“There could be.”

 

Mark laughed, a slow, measured, bitter laugh. The edited photo may have been distorted to look like present day, but the conversation was the same old thing, repeated as if it was a script they’d both learned long ago.

“You remember what I told you last time you said that?”

Sebastian looked annoyed and his eyes finally moved away from Mark’s face, instead darting around them as if the answer could be found somewhere in the park, the clouds, the glittering water.

“You said there couldn’t, and that I didn’t know what I was talking about, and that I was just a stupid kid.” He was frowning. Mark had expected a pout.

“I never called you stupid, mate.”

“You didn’t have to say it,” Seb countered hotly. “You thought I was stupid, a stupid kid.”

“I thought you were immature.”

“Well I wasn’t.” The way he spat the words out Mark actually flinched.

“I wasn’t immature, I was being serious and you didn’t believe me. You said I didn’t... I couldn’t know what I wanted, because I was just a kid.”

He took a deep breath as if to steady himself and looked back up into Mark’s eyes. Mark very nearly flinched again. It was still Seb, older, but still the same person, he could see that clearly. But something was very different about the look in those familiar eyes. What used to be a wild torrent was now a river; just as powerful as before, but a more controlled force. Just as likely to sweep him away, but less likely to pull him under and smash him against the rocks.

“I’m not a kid anymore Mark. I know what I want now.” The hand was back on Mark’s arm, stroking softly up and down, making his skin burn and prickle.

“You say that now,” Mark said, his voice low. He closed his eyes, he had to, Seb was looking right into him and he couldn’t hide, he felt completely defenseless. “You say that like you think I can give you what you want.”

“I know you can,” Seb said without hesitation. “You thought that too, before.”

 

Mark was quiet. He’d put his heart on the line and gotten hurt, and while part of his heart was more than willing, more than ready to toe that line again, his brain was absolutely not.

“Please, Mark.”

Sebastian moved closer, still tethered to Mark by the simple touch of his hand, now holding on to the other man’s arm like he was pulling himself in. Mark couldn’t say anything, couldn’t do anything to stop him – he wasn’t sure he really wanted to. When Seb spoke again, he was so close that despite the cooling evening breeze, Mark could feel the heat of his breath against his face.

“Give me a chance.”

They were so close, closer than they had been in many years now, and for some reason Mark suddenly knew that this time it was his decision. He could keep things like they had been until now, manageable and fairly safe, professional and friendly... or he could be the one to take the next step. This time, Sebastian wouldn’t be making the first move. This time, Sebastian understood that there was more to this than his curious fooling around. This time, Sebastian wouldn’t run away, wouldn’t disappear at the first hint of something more serious. This time, Sebastian wouldn’t come back only to leave again.

Mark closed the little gap between them and saw Seb’s eyes close before their lips met. This Seb didn’t kiss like the one he remembered; this was controlled and tentative, and when the very tips of their tongues met Mark was sure he heard the fizzle of his brain actually short-circuiting. Something that sparked like the sun across the water washed over him, familiar but new, exciting but frightening, and they had always been so careful and private before that Mark startled when he realized they were out in the open, but he was still reluctant to stop. With great effort he pulled away and opened his eyes. His hands were on Seb’s shoulders and he didn’t know he’d put them there.

Sebastian stood very still, his eyes still closed, his lips still wet and only slightly parted. His eyebrows twitched but other than that he didn’t move. It almost looked like he was sleeping, having some kind of dream that he had unwittingly invited Mark into.

“We need to talk,” Mark finally said. Seb opened his eyes and nodded once.

 

\- The End -

**Author's Note:**

> All in good fun, as per usual. :)  
> Thanks for the read! <3


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